Travelling valve fluid pump plunger



Sept. 29, 1959 E. E. FRITCHER TRAVELLING VALVE FLUID PUMP PLUNGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1958 Earl E Fri/char 1N VEN TOR. BY flew m fiM Sept. 29, 1959 E. E. FRITCHER TRAVELLING VALVE FLUID PUMP PLUNGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 11, 1958 Earl E. Frifcher 1N VEN TOR.

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Unit States Patent This invention relates to an improvedtravellingvalve,

pump plunger for pumping of'fluids which is expressly,

but not necessarily, constructedand designed for-use in oil Well'pumps. and which is intended to save oil companies ahigh percentage in the production of .crudeoil, in that the plunger insures .longer service,lengthens the t1me of removal of theplunger for cleaning and repairs and;

achieves this by way of its novel construction and resulting ability to virtually eliminate sand deposits andgas locks.

Briefly summarized,,and primarily. from a structural point ,of VlCfW, the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof is characterized by a working barrel provided at.

a lower end with a. ported plug having a cage containing a ball check valve, tubing enclosing said barrel'and operatively, secured at its lower end to the corresponding.

end"of said barrel, and a travelling valve pump plunger confined for operation in the barrel and movable toward and from said ball check valve. This plunger comprises a sucker rod having a plurality of vertically spaced valve seating members fixed thereon, and intervening sleevelike valve elements interposedbetween saidseating members. Each seating, member comprises an inverted'cup circular in cross-section and slidingly contacting the,interior surface of the barrel, the upper end of said seating member having a ported body portion with a conical upper end or surface the outer marginal portion of which is bevelled outwardly and upwardly to provide a substantially V-shaped channel or valve; seat with a relatively sharp outer peripheral edge constituting a sand'scraper, and-the lower end of each'valve element having inward andoutWardbevelled surfaces matching and mating with the corresponding bevelled surfaces of said valverseat and;

closing said ports in said seat.

As is perhaps already evident a significant objective inadopting this type of improved travelling valve pump plunger is to reduce to an appreciable minimum said deposits such as are present in oil well pumps currently in use, particularly proratedpumps that are periodically shut down from sticking and freezing so that they will not have to be pulled out of the well to be too frequently cleaned and repaired.

In addition to saving time and labor required from shutting down a well the use of the improved plunger will enable operators to better cope with the over-all problem andto eliminate gas locking and to provide for free flowing plunger operation which will resultin increased oil production.

Then, too, novelty is predicated on a plunger construc: tion I which will offer to the oil industry a simplified adaptation with positive seating of the coacting plunger components, making it possible to more effectually and aptly utilize the improved components more economically.

In carryingout a preferred embodiment of the invention it will be noted that the valve seating members provide' a novel tapered seat which is such in construction that-italso functions as a scraper, making it possibleto employ a'scraping action againsttheworking-barrelandremoving the accumulation of sand deposits that wouldother'wise cause sticking and. freezing of the pump.

As will be hereinafter seen the, improved valvesinthe;

travelling plunger are such. in construction that they set: upand produce a-jarring action on the downward stroke: which loosens any sand deposits that would otherwise accumulate on the valve seat itself. Further, the invention features self lubrication of theworking barrel due, to the upper half of the valve travelling up andrdo-wn and allow-- ing oil to come .into contact with the working barrelwalls in the area of the cooperating moving parts.-- Finally, the formation of gas pockets is practically eliminated because the oil is not restricted at any time, allowingflthe. gas to. flow upward in the oil and out of the well,

Other objects, features and advantages 'will become,

more readily apparent from the following description and,

the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings whereinrlike, numerals are employed,

thecomponents of the plungeronthe downward stroke.

of the plunger, the sectionbeing on theverticalline 2.2. of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing therelationship of parts or components on the upward stroke.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sections on the lines 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6 respectively, of Fig. 2, looking-in thedirection of the indicating arrows.

It is believed that the construction may bebest understood by directing attention primarily to Figs. 2 and 3 wherein it will be seen thatthe working barrel is denoted by the numeral 8, the tubing by the numeral 10 and casing by the numeral 12. The lower protruding end 14 of the barrel is internally screw threaded to accommodate a screw plug 16 having an axial oil intake, port 18, the upperend of which is normally closed by aball check valve 20 confined in a cage 22 fixed atop the plug. Above, the plane of the plug the lower end portion 24 of the tubing is turned laterally and removably secured to the barrel.-

The improved plunger is denoted generally by the numeral 26 .andcomprises a plungerrodor sucker rod.2 8

are here denoted individually by numeral 30. Theseparts are the aforementioned valve seatingmembers. The inter; vening two parts. 32 constitute valve elements Each seating member 301is of. inverted cup-shape form andis open at the bottom and is circular in cross-section and of; an outer diameter to cooperate slidingly withthe inner surface of the barrel 8 in an obvious manner. The upper end is substantially closed in by a body portion 34 having a conical upper end or head and the central or hub of this body portion is Welded or otherwise appropriately secured at 36 to the rod. The outer marginal portion is provided with a circular row of ports 38. The upper sur-- face is also marginally beveled at 40 and the conical surface cooperates therewith and constitutes a V-shaped valve seat. The extreme outer peripheral edge is relatively sharp and constitutes a sand scraper. The cross-sectional] thickness of the wall of each valve element 32 is greater than the cross-sectional thickness of the wall or skirt portion of the valve seating members 30. Each valve element 32 may be described as vof sleeve-like form. It will be noticed that the valve element has no positive or direct mechanical connection to the rod 28. It operatesinthe. space between the two adjacent seating members fllhe upper edge 42 is flat to cooperate with the corresponding fiat edge 44 at the bottom of the skirt portion of the cup. This construction provides for the proper mating of surfaces in the position referred to as the down stroke in Fig. 2. The arrows in this figure show the flow of oil. The lower end of the valve element has a first outward bevel at 46 which corresponds to the bevel 40. The inner bevel surface at 48 is shaped and corresponds to the mating surface of the conical head and covers the ports 38 in the manner shown in the up moving stroke of the plunger in Fig. 3.

Mode of operation:

A motor (not shown) on the ground surface mechanically operates a rocker arm (called a horseshead in the oil industry) which in turn pulls the sucker rod up and down in the oil well.

When the sucker rod goes down the decrease in volume of the cylinder below the plunger creates a pressure on the ball 20 at the bottom of the working barrel 8 sealing off the bottom of the working barrel, forcing oil upward through the valving means, pushing the travelling portion of the valve to its upward extremity and allowing oil and any gas pockets to flow upward out of the well for the amount of volume that the plunger displaces.

On the upward stroke the valve seat members move upward, scraping loose the sand deposits on the working barrel as it moves upward, meeting the traveling portion of the valve, in turn, sealing the valve shut forcing oil upward out of the well and at the same time decreasing the pressure below the plunger which in turn reverses the pressure differential above the ball at the bottom of the working barrel allowing it to rise and the oil to flow in, so that when the plunger starts its downward stroke there will be a new supply to fill the plunger.

Each valve element will have about a three thousandths clearance between its outer surface and the cooperating surface of the working barrel. This clearance plus self lubrication that it will have a very small friction factor between surfaces and regardless, it has to stay at its upward extremity on the downward stroke because the oil pressure from below will force it upward to its extremity and if it did stick to the working barrel the valve seat above it would break it loose in its travel downward forcing it downward ahead of it and on the upward stroke the weight of the fluid plus the valve seat moving upward would force it upward ahead of it acting as a valve seat simultaneously. So the valve element has to follow the path and location desired at all times. Possibly if the friction between valve element and barrel surface is greater than calculated causing a mechanical failure then a greater tolerance will be used between the surfaces.

With further reference to the feature 24 it may be added that normally the construction or design employed in oil well pumps is such that the working barrel has a spline (not detailed) at the bottom that slides into the bottom of the tubing and serving to mechanically lock the parts in their intended operating relationship. The construction is employed to allow the working barrel to be unlocked by an upward jerk so that it can be removed for maintenance, that is and when necessary. In the instant situation the working barrel is but a complemental part of the novelty and for this reason the drawings do not attempt to bring out explicitly the normal spline construction.' A simple groove is shown at the bottom making the desired separable connection between the so-called inturned flange 24 and the grooved surface of the barrel 14.

In the actual construction to be employed the aforementioned valve seating members 3t) have the upper end or body portion relatively thick. In fact, the construction is such that the depth of the body portion is approximately one-third the length of the over-all cup. This construction insures greater stability in the valve seat and prevents it from twisting in the working barrel. Also it is to be noted that with the design shown each port hole 38 at its lower end portion tapered in toward the core because of the larger wall thickness at this point and with construction and these large ports fluid is allowed to enter the port holes with a minimum of resistance.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In an oil well construction, in combination, an outer well casing, a working barrel enclosed by said casing and provided at a lower end with a ported plug having a cage containing a ball check valve, tubing within said casing and enclosing said barrel and operatively connected at its lower end to the lower end of said barrel, and a traveling valve pump plunger confined for reciprocation in said barrel above said check valve comprising a sucker rod, at least one inverted cup-like valve seating member slidably movable in said barrel, said member being open at the bottom and having a solid hub-like body portion at the top centrally fixed to said sucker rod, the upper end of said body portion having a marginal V-shaped groove providing a valve seat and a plurality of circumferentially spaced vertical oil ports opening upwardly through said groove for upward passage of oil, and at least one valve element above and cooperating with said seat, said valve element comprising a sleeve having snug-fitting but movable contact with the interior of the wall of said barrel but being free of positive mechanical connection with said sucker rod, the lower end of said valve element being shaped to conformingly fit said groove and thus cooperatively assoeiated with and engageable with said seat.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, and wherein said valve seating member, being cup-like, embodies said body portion and a depending skirt portion which is circular in cross-section, the upper surface at the upper end of said body portion being conical and tapering downwardly and outwardly and merging with and joining with an upwardly and outwardly cooperating bevel, the cooperating surfaces of the bevel and adjacent conical portion coacting in defining said groove, the latter providing a V-shaped channel constituting the stated valve seat.

3. The structure defined in claim 1, and wherein said valve seating member, being cup-like in form, embodies the body portion and a depending skirt portion which is circular in cross-section, the upper surface of the upper end of said body portion being conical and tapering downwardly and outwardly and joining with an upwardly and outwardly cooperating bevel, the cooperating surfaces of the bevel and adjacent conical portion coacting in defining an endless V-shaped channel functioning as the stated valve seat, the bottom of said skirt being flat and at right angles to the axis of said barrel, said oil ports being located at the approximate junctional connecting point between the lower portion of the conical surface and adjoining lower portion of the bevel and being thus situated midway between the coacting surfaces defining the valve seat.

4. The structure defined in claim 3, and wherein the lower end of said valve element is provided with inner and outer concentric bevels cooperating in providing a substantially V-shaped valving surface, the latter cooperating intimately with the V-shapcd channel to provide the desired mating of surfaces and the intended positive valving action desired.

5. For use in an oil well casing, a working barrel the lower end of which is provided with a ported plug the upper end of said plug having a cage located in the bottom of the barrel and containing a ball check valve for the port in said plug, tubing operatively enclosing said barrel and cooperatively joined at its lower end to the lower end of said barrel, and a traveling valve pump plunger confined for operation in said barrel and movable toward and from said cage and the ball check valve therein comprising, in combination, a sucker rod having a plurality of vertically spaced valve seating members fixed thereon, and intervening sleeve-like valve elements interposed between cooperating seating members, each seating member comprising an inverted cup circular in cross-section and slidingly contacting the interior surface of the barrel, the upper part of said seating member having a conical upper end portion the outer periphery of which is beveled outwardly and upwardly to provide a valve seat, the marginal edge of the beveled portion providing a relatively sharp outer edge constituting and serving primarily as a sand scraper, and the lower end of each valve element having an outward correspondingly beveled surface matching and mating with the beveled 6 portion of said valve seat and an inward beveled surface conformably contacting said conical end portion and closing ports which are provided and passed through the median portion of said valve seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 449,333 Robinson Mar. 31, 1891 1,200,906 Wilson Oct. 10, 1916 1,545,722 Zublin July 14, 1925 2,475,705 Hunter July 12, 1949 2,715,368 Pate Aug. 16, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 387,259 Germany Dec. 28, 1923 

